Talent Costs Blamed for Dearth of Shows

Last January, transplanted Northern California concert promoter Michael Goldman opened an office for his Music Futures company in an Encinitas strip mall.

His stated goal was to carve a unique niche in the San Diego music scene by producing large, outdoor shows such as those he promoted in the early 1980s in the foothills of the Sierras, featuring such major acts as Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Grateful Dead and the Band. Goldman would carve his niche in the thin space between the twin peaks of local concert promotion--Bill Silva Presents and Avalon Attractions.

In April, Goldman took his first tentative step in that direction with a concert at Vista’s Moonlight Amphitheatre that featured the touring show, “Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles.” The opening act was Dwight Adams--erstwhile vocalist with the local Dr. Feelgood and the Interns of Love--doing a tribute to Otis Redding. Goldman hoped to draw 3,000 fans to the 4,000-plus venue, and came close. Attendance was about 2,800, counting the usual media freebies.

Since then, however, Music Futures has been all but silent. In a phone interview Monday, Goldman admitted that the niche-carving has proven difficult, partly because of the prohibitive cost of promoting concerts. He has, in fact, come to rely on a favorite four-letter word when dealing with agents who book touring music acts: Pass.

“It’s something I find myself saying a lot these days,” Goldman said from his ocean-view office. “And I’m not the only one. A number of promoters are beginning to realize that they’ve gotten themselves behind the eight-ball. If everybody started passing on shows, prices would come back down. It’s way out of hand; bands are trying to make up for a lack of dates by charging each promoter more. And you can’t always pass the expense on to the public.”

Goldman believes that high ticket prices largely were to blame for the fact that Bruce Springsteen’s recent show at the Sports Arena didn’t sell-out, and for his ticket sales being “soft” all over the country.

“Only the hottest artists are selling out, and that’s a shame,” Goldman said. “There are an awful lot of good artists out there who aren’t getting a chance to play here because the agents and managers are trying to squeeze too much out of a smaller market. Because of the state of the economy, and the state of the music business, there are fewer shows coming to town. And the fact that Avalon and Silva are having a very difficult time landing their share of shows is reflected in the prices that have been quoted to me for major acts.”

Goldman feels that too many of the current touring acts are “way over-priced,” and claims that he routinely turns them down both because of the prospect of losing money, and because he refuses to pass along the agents’ exorbitant asking prices in the form of unreasonably high ticket charges.

“I’d rather do nothing than do something and lose my shirt,” he said. “I don’t subscribe to the unspoken industry rule that says if you want to be a big promoter you have to lose money and pay dues. I believe to be successful, you have to be a smart businessman. The one time I did go out on a limb to do a show, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. So, now, if the show doesn’t look right, I just pass. For example, I passed on the recent shows here by Crosby, Stills & Nash and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.”

As for the big outdoor shows that are his forte, Goldman said he just hasn’t found the right venue for that here.

“I pursued the old Sammis Pavilion near Batiquitos Lagoon, where Dylan played several years ago, but the owners have absolutely no interest in producing concerts there,” Goldman said. “I just couldn’t find a suitable outdoor venue, even for a crowd of only 5,000, that is available during the warm months. Unfortunately, the Moonlight Amphitheatre, which is a beautiful place, is pretty much unavailable all summer because of its own in-house theater productions. Plus, it’s a little out-of- the-way unless you’re bringing in a major artist.”

Goldman wanted to bring Dylan to the Moonlight for a May 22 show, and claims it was “a done deal.” But Dylan’s unexpected strength in the L.A. market thwarted those plans.

“Dylan was supposed to do two nights at the Pantages Theatre in L.A., and we’d have him a few nights later,” Goldman said. “But ticket sales in L.A. went so well, they kept adding shows. He ended up selling out--in advance--a total of seven nights at the Pantages, and the last of those dates blocked our one date here.”

When a concert promoter isn’t promoting concerts, one might expect him to take down his shingle. But, for now, Goldman is content to play a waiting game.

“I’m still looking for some shift in the industry to indicate that there’s an opening for someone like me to do what I do best,” he said. “In the meantime, because the business was good to me before, I was able to put a little money away. I have a low overhead, so I can maintain an office. I’m still networking and meeting a lot of people, and I think Music Futures is positioning itself to make a move when the time is right.”

Goldman said he is working on a new project that will involve concert production on a regular basis, but that he is not at liberty to discuss it at this time.

TULL TWO: About 1,400 disappointed San Diegans who had tickets to Jethro Tull’s canceled Oct. 17 show might still be wondering what they missed. But one fan who held a ducat to the Spreckels Theatre concert thinks he knows. Local musician Randall Biest was in Seattle last week, visiting a relative who just happened to have tickets to the band’s Thursday concert at the Paramount Theatre there.

According to Biest, Tull generally seemed out of sync. Front man Ian Anderson sang like a man whose bronchial infection scuttled the San Diego show, and even the band’s normally solid drummer, Dave Mattacks (formerly of Fairport Convention), had problems keeping time. Reportedly, the musicians exchanged “man, this is a bad night” looks several times.

In fairness, Biest said, Tull had spent the entire day traveling to Seattle after a gig the night before in Mexico City. And, the semi-acoustic show did have a few highlights, including strong performances of three very early Tull tunes, “My Sunday Feeling,” “Beggar’s Farm” and “Nothing Is Easy.”

There was also broad comic relief when Anderson invited a woman in the audience to dress as a maid and serve wine to the band, after which Anderson jumped down from the stage to pour glasses of vino for surprised fans. Later, the “maid” threw Klondike bars into the crowd.

The show even had an indirect link to San Diego, in the form of a man wearing a Chargers cap. According to Biest, the man was very inebriated, and proudly represented his hometown of El Cajon by getting sick all over the floor about half-way through the concert.

There’s no reason to watch Michael Bolton’s television special tonight if you caught Jim Carrey doing a dead-on spoof of the singer, down to the keyhole-shaped haircut, on a recent episode of the Fox network’s “In Living Color.”

Straining for that last ounce of fabricated soul during a vein-bulging rendition of “When a White Man Needs a Single,” Carrey/Bolton’s head exploded, sending screaming fans scrambling for the fragments.

If you missed that show, you might want to see if life imitates art by watching “This is Michael Bolton.” Advertising for the hour-long special, which airs at 10 p.m. on NBC (Channel 39, cable 7), promises that it will divulge “what the shouting is all about!” It isn’t clear, however, if that’s a reference to his fans’ ardor or to Bolton’s singing style. Testing one’s pain threshold is a guest appearance by ubiquitous saxo-phony Kenny G.

BOOKINGS: (Tickets for the following concerts will be sold at all TicketMaster outlets, 278-TIXS, unless otherwise specified.) Tickets are on sale for two “Howl Arena” dance- concerts at the Sports Arena. On Friday, a 21-and-up show will feature rappers the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and rockers Blackbird. On Saturday, an 18-and-up show brings Sir Mix-a-Lot, High-Five, A.L.T. and the Lost Civilization, the Movement, N2Deep, and Technotronic. . . .

The Friday night series of intimate acoustic concerts at Choices Restaurant on Torrey Pines continues Nov. 13 with a program called “Simply Strings,” featuring Livy Delafield (hammer dulcimer), George Svoboda (guitar), Cynthia Lynn Douglas (harp), and Mark Indictor (fiddle). The Nov. 20 lineup features a double-bill of performer-entrepreneurs. Headlining is the guitars-and-vocals duo of Vickie Cottle (organizer of the annual Julian Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin, and Guitar Contest) and David Dekker; opening is singer and North County folk concert promoter Meghan Shannon. Both Choices concerts start at 7 p.m., and tickets are $4.50 at the door. . . .

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday for a Dec. 30 concert at the O’Brien Pavilion (Del Mar Fairgounds) featuring Megadeth and Suicidal Tendencies.

CRITIC’S CHOICE

MUSICAL PUNSTER ON TAP

Comedian Judy (“It could happen!”) Tenuta headlines a show Thursday night at the Belly Up Tavern, but don’t be surprised if local musical punster David Bradley and his trio steal the show. Bradley, who’s been out of circulation for a long time, was doing hilarious spoofs on popular tunes 10 years before “Weird Al” Yankovic came along.

Belly laughs would seem almost guaranteed at both the 7 and 9:30 p.m. shows. Tickets are $15 through TicketMaster (278-TIXS) or at the door.